


Sometimes a surprise is nice.

by emma_meerkat



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5252432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emma_meerkat/pseuds/emma_meerkat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Éponine has a bad day, but a nice surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sometimes a surprise is nice.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Licit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Licit/gifts).



> The prompt was "Azelma does something nice for Éponine"

Since moving out of her parents large house, and taking Gavroche and Azelma with her, most of Éponine’s troubles had been very trivial matters. She could have bad days, but none of them would be close to living in the Thénadier household, although today was coming close to that particular circle of hell.

  
Since it was November, and Paris was, as often it is, graced with cooler weather, and the inevitability of rain, she had started the day cold and miserable. And as it was ‘just November’ her boss hadn’t deemed the weather cold enough to put on the heating in her office, leaving her clothes damp all day. Given that she was still only three weeks into this job, Éponine didn’t want to rock the boat too much, as she depended on the income to support her two younger siblings, she couldn’t complain too much, only curse her Boss quietly at her desk, and send a stream of emails to Cosette and Grantaire to complain about the state of her day.

  
By the time it came for her to leave, Éponine wrestled with the umbrella she stole from the reception, only for it to turn inside out as soon as she stepped out of the door.

  
“Fuck.” She screamed to the sky, her mood darkening with every step she took in the walk towards the bus. She pulled her phone out of her damp pocket, and found that it died in the two minutes since she’d left the office. “Double Fuck” she cursed, meaning that she couldn’t sweet talk Combeferre or even Enjolras into giving her a lift home, considering they worked on the opposite side of the city.

  
Éponine wanted nothing more than to curl up into a small ball and forget that today had ever happened. Her Boss still insisted on calling her Emily, even though he knew that wasn’t her name. Her colleagues were ‘a bit of bigoted dicks’ as Grantaire had described them when he had met her for lunch at her desk yesterday. But as it was nearing the end of the year, she could tolerate them for the sake of making it to the New Year and looking for another job when the seasonal temps had left, and places were hiring again.

Having two teenagers in her house to look after when she got home from work was the only thing stopping Éponine from breaking down as she trudged on to the already packed bus. She knew that Gavroche and Azelma could always tell when she’d been crying, hiding anything from them had gotten increasingly difficult the longer they lived together. Azelma had settled down after she moved into the apartment where she and Gavroche had been living for the last year, but that could possibly have been because Éponine’s apartment was on the other side of the city from where Montparnasse and his gang frequented, which had been most of Azelma’s problem.

  
Instead, she found her sister growing close with Courfeyrac. Confusing at first, it was nice to have someone who was a positive influence on her younger sister. Courfeyrac and Azelma were often found studying with one another as Bahorel and Grantaire entertained Gavroche. Well as much as two twenty four year olds can entertain a twelve year old within the parameters of legality, much to Gavroche’s disappointment.  
Having a large group of friends in what could be sometimes a lonely city was Eponine’s favourite thing about Paris. The ‘Happiest Accident of her life’ that Grantaire likes to refer to her following Marius into the Café Musain and into the lives of ‘Enjolras and his adorable misfits’, another Grantaire nickname, and gained herself the fiercest friends that a girl could ask for.

  
Still, a group of friends wasn’t something that could ward off the inevitable foul mood Eponine would find herself in when she eventually made it back into her apartment. Her feet made an uncomfortable squish sound on the tiled floor of the building as Eponine pressed the code for the door with slightly more force than necessary to make herself feel better. Thankfully, the lift in the building had been fixed last night, so she didn’t have to travel up six flights of stairs in the already foul mood that she is in.

  
It took a few minutes for the lift to reach her floor, but Eponine was grateful for the couple of moments peace being in the small metal box bought her, before she had to deal with Gavroche and his enthusiasm or Azelma and her lack of enthusiasm. Exhaling slowly, Éponine pushed herself off of the metal wall, and into the corridor.

  
The first thing that struck Eponine as suspicious, was the un-nerving quiet that permeated around the hall near her apartment. Usually by now she could hear Gavroche and Azelma arguing, or at least the television turned up too loud. But currently Eponine could not hear either of these things.  
Eponine’s suspicions were further heightened, after she turned her key in the lock, only to find her apartment empty. Empty and Clean too. “Gav?” Éponine broached as she hung up her jacket, and put her bag down, “’Zel?”

  
Nothing. The apartment was empty. Although the room felt warm, and for some reason there was a smell of garlic wafting through the apartment. Only then was it that she noticed the note pinned to the fridge with a magnet. It read:

 _Ep,_  
_I know it’s not fun living with me and Gav. And I know work has been pretty awful. So we agreed to give you the night off. !!!!_  
_I’m staying at Cosette’s with Marius and Courfeyrac. We’re having movie night!_  
_Gavroche is with Bahorel & Feuilly. They mentioned video games._  
_There’s a pasta bake in the oven courtesy of Grantaire, who also made a cake for you._  
_You have two bottles of wine on the side, and a whole night to yourself._  
_Combeferre and Grantaire are ready should you want company, and Enjolras too should you want entertainment._  
_I’ll see you tomorrow, but let me know if you need me to take Gav out so you can sleep._  
_Love,_  
_Z_  

“Huh” Eponine mused aloud to herself. Maybe her sister living here wasn’t such a bad idea after all.


End file.
